A friend of mine dropped Israel and New Breed’s latest CD titled A Deeper Level off at my desk and suggested I give it a whirl. Growing up on Alternative, Grunge and Classic Rock, I thought that the Gospel genre wouldn’t be my cup of tea. I associated Gospel with the likes of Bill and Gloria Gaither and other quartet groups. However, I dropped A Deeper Level into my player and began moving to a Deeper Level!
Archive for the ‘Highlight’ Category
The skinny on Mark; a book of the Bible
On January - 20 - 2009
Have you ever walked into the tail end of a conversation and wonder what started the discussion? The conversation made sense as you were apart of it, but when you found out the origination of the conversation it provided greater insight into the discussion. The same is true with the Bible. The Bible makes sense as you read it, but once you know the origination of the book, one gets greater insight into what it says. Over the next several weeks, PursuingHim.com will be sharing the skinny or overview of the origination of the books of the New Testament in hopes that this will provide some further insights for studying God’s word. These articles coincide with our Spring 2009 Lunch Bunch called New Testament Challenge. Previously, we looked at the book of Matthew, this week we will be continuing with the book of Mark.
How to study the Bible
On January - 17 - 2009
“I want to study the Bible, I just don’t know how,” said John. I’ve heard people say this time and time again. Reading and studying the Bible is not as difficult as people make it. A lot of times people just don’t know where to start. The key is TO start. Below you will find six steps to help you study God’s word. These are six steps that I’ve found useful in my own Bible study times.
Neighborly lovin’
On January - 14 - 2009
I was on my way into work recently a little earlier than usual and caught a portion of a message from Alistair Begg, a pastor in Cleveland who speaks with a Scottish accent. (Not quite the Sean Connery brogue but still Scottish.) Something he said caught my ear and rode with me the rest of the way in. He said, “Love is to be defined in caring terms not based on emotions or feelings.”
Allister was giving a message from the book of James 2:8-13 about favoritism. A verse he used as the base of his message was the last portion of verse eight, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He stated when you wake up in the morning, you don’t wake up and say “I love myself, I love myself, I love myself!” Unless of course you are Paris Hilton, then that’s another story. But the fact of the matter is that when it comes down to it, you show that you love yourself by taking care of yourself. You make sure that you’ve had something to eat, you’ve taken a shower sometime in the last several days, and that you stay warm enough. Simply put, you show yourself love by caring for your daily needs.
What does that have to do with our neighbor? When we look throughout the Bible, we see the phrase “Love your neighbor as yourself” nine times. One of the nine instances quotes God the Father in Leviticus 19:18, another five quote Jesus (Matthew 19:19, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Mark 12:33, Luke 10:27), and the other three are others quoting Jesus or God the Father (Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8). Evidently by who said it and the number of times the same phrase was reiterated, “Love your neighbor as yourself” was not meant to be taken lightly. It included the word “neighbor.” The word neighbor can be defined as people you meet at the store, co-workers, family members, really anyone you come into contact with. To sum it up, we should be caring about our neighbor (people at the store, co-workers, family members, etc.) the way each of us care for ourselves.
I really had to get serious and ask myself, Am I caring for my neighbors the way I care for myself? Do my actions show that I care about my neighbor? As I looked back, in some places I did a decent job, in some places I totally stink at showing love to my neighbors. What about you? Are you caring for your neighbors the way you care for yourself? Do your actions back that up? How are you loving your neighbor?
Evidence leads to verdicts
On January - 1 - 2009
This isn’t quick witted Grissom leading detectives to the culprits but just as CSI investigators lead us to guilty criminals in today’s crime dramas, Josh McDowell follows the trail of evidence and answers challenging questions in his book “The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict
During his collegiate days, Josh an agnostic, began writing a paper to disprove the claims of Christianity. Over the course of this research Josh converted to Christianity based on the evidence he discovered during his research. The material of The New Evidence that Demands A Verdict is a compilation of Josh McDowell’s notes for a lecture series he spoke at called “Christianity: Hoax or History?”
Upon looking at the table of contents, The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict answers such questions as:
- How is the Bible Unique?
- How did we get the Bible?
- Is the Old and New Testament Historically Reliable?
- Is Jesus who he really says he is?
- How does Christianity stand up when looked through the lens of archaeology?
- As well as many other questions.
I was first introduced to this book back in the early 1990′s. A high school buddy and I were tasked with defending the Christian faith in a courtroom setting. The collection of information that Josh has bound within this text provided a great wealth of evidence to the validity of the Christian faith. This book is for anyone who is exploring the Christian faith or who is desiring to grow in their understanding of overwhelming evidence of the Christian faith.
The skinny on Matthew; a book of the Bible
On January - 1 - 2009
Have you ever walked into the tail end of a conversation and wonder what started the discussion? The conversation made sense as you were apart of it, but when you found out the origination of the conversation it provided greater insight into the discussion. The same is true with the Bible. The Bible makes sense as you read it, but once you know the origination of the book, one gets greater insight into what it says. Over the next several weeks, PursuingHim.com will be sharing the skinny or overview of the origination of the books of the New Testament in hopes that this will provide some further insights for studying God’s word. These articles coincide with our Spring 2009 Lunch Bunch called New Testament Challenge. We’ll be starting things off with the book of Matthew.
The Book of Matthew
Publication Date: Most sources agree that the Gospel of Matthew was written between 50 – 70 A.D.
Author: While the author of the Good News of Matthew never tells us who they are, church tradition holds that Matthew wrote the text. Matthew, (also known as Levi) was a tax collector who was an eye witness to Jesus’ life. We can read about Jesus calling Matthew to “Follow Me,” in Mark 2:14.
Target Audience: The book of Matthew was written with the Jewish community as the primary audience. Matthew wanted to show the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and how they pointed to Jesus as the anticipated Messiah. He also wanted to convey the fact that Jesus is the King that the Jewish community was looking for. We see the wise men ask “Where is the King of the Jews?” We also see Pilate asking Jesus, “Are you king of the Jews?”
Book Outline:
- Prologue: the birth of the King (Chapters 1, 2).
- Narrative: the preparation of the King (Chapters 3, 4).
- First discourse: the law of the Kingdom (Chapters 5-7).
- Narrative: the power of the King (Chapters 8, 9).
- Second discourse: the proclamation of the Kingdom (10).
- Narrative: the rejection of the King (11, 12).
- Third discourse: the growth of the Kingdom (13).
- Narrative: the mission of the King (14-17).
- Fourth discourse: the fellowship of the Kingdom (18).
- Narrative: the King goes to Jerusalem (19-23).
- Fifth discourse: the consummation of the Kingdom (24, 25).
- Narrative: the death and resurrection of the King (26:1-28:15).
- Epilogue: the great challenge of the Kingdom (28:16-20).
(The above outline is taken from Zondervan’s Pictorial Bible Dictionary
Want to read more? Read the skinny on Mark; a book of the Bible.
